Test yourself and keep your brain in trim
The Danish Alzheimer’s Association is launching a ‘brain health test’ for Danes. The test provides personal advice and knowledge about what we can do to keep our brains healthy and prevent dementia – and the potential is enormous, as international research in the area shows.
Dementia is among the most serious and devastating diseases in our society. In fact, dementia is the fourth most common cause of death in Denmark. The good news is that extensive research has shown that more than a third of dementia cases can be prevented by simple lifestyle changes. And the new Brain Health Test, available free of charge from www.hjernesundtesten.dk, gives people the opportunity to find out what they need to do to keep their brains healthy and reduce the risk of developing dementia.
“The test poses a series of questions about your information and habits, and based on your answers, it then creates a personal profile that tells you in which areas you are already doing well, and where you can take action to improve your brain’s health. If there are any areas you would like to improve, you can sign up to receive tips and inspiration in each area,” says Maria Fisker Ringgaard, project manager at the Alzheimer’s Association.
A strong foundation
Behind the advice you receive are some of the country’s sharpest minds in each of the factors that play a role in our risk of developing dementia, and that we can do something about: physical activity, diet, smoking, alcohol, mental stimulation, depression, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and kidney disease.
“Some of the factors that influence the risk of developing dementia are probably familiar to people from other preventive activities. Diet, physical activity and our relationship with alcohol and smoking all play a role, for example. But when it comes to keeping the brain healthy, learning new things, having good social relations and doing things that bring you quality of life are also important,” says Ellen Garde, a brain researcher and doctor at the University of Copenhagen, who is part of the expert monitoring group behind the test.
News to many people
Although research into dementia prevention has been going on for many years, it may be news to many Danes that they can do something themselves to reduce their risk of developing the disease. In fact, a Megafon survey conducted for the Alzheimer’s Association showed that almost half (46%) of Danes were in doubt that anything can be done to prevent dementia. This figure surprises journalist Kasper Friche of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), whose own father had dementia, as he described in a series of documentary films. He himself is very conscious of keeping his brain healthy:
“After having had such a close and personal experience of dementia, it’s a disease I fear more than anything else. My father lived with a great deal of stress for many years, and that’s also a situation I’m familiar with. Naturally, overloading your body and your mental ‘computer’ like that eventually has consequences. So I always remember to stop and breathe every now and then – for example by doing something active with my kids, and generally taking care of my brain,” he says.
The Alzheimer’s Association is responsible for developing the Brain Health Test, in collaboration with the Danish Dementia Research Centre, the Intersectoral Prevention Laboratory and a wide range of health experts. The project is supported by the Lundbeck Foundation and the health insurance company Sygeforsikringen Danmark.
- Developed at Maastricht University in the Netherlands
- Based on the internationally recognised LIBRA index (LIfestyle for BRAin Health), which consists of dementia risk factors that can be influenced by lifestyle interventions and prevention strategies
- Aimed at anyone who wishes to keep their brain healthy and reduce the risk of dementia
- Funded by Sygeforsikringen Danmark and the Lundbeck Foundation
- Scientifically validated by an expert monitoring group consisting of Associate Professor Ellen Garde, brain researcher and physician at the University of Copenhagen, Professor Steen Hasselbalch of the Danish Dementia Research Centre, and Kasper Jørgensen, neuropsychological consultant at the Danish Dementia Research Centre, in collaboration with the Intersectoral Prevention Laboratory, and with input from a wide range of experts in the various risk factors
- Can be taken free of charge at: hjernesundtesten.dk – the test takes just a couple of minutes
